The scholar Richard Porson said that “life is too short to learn German." Maybe he just didn’t have the right teacher!
There are a lot of falsehoods about the German language floating about. For example, a lot of people still consider it an “ugly” and “difficult” language which is completely untrue.
There are plenty of benefits to learning German, including being able to converse with German people, enjoy German media, and work effectively with German speakers.
Whether you’re starting off with basic German or whether you’re at an advanced level, you can always improve with some German tutoring!
Perhaps you’d like to work on your German vocabulary, practise speaking, or just learn a few new phrases and expressions to be able to enjoy a holiday to the German-speaking regions in Europe.
There are plenty of great ways to learn the German language. In order to choose the best one, you should have a good look at all the options available to you first.
Private German Lessons
Getting in touch with a private tutor is an effective way to learn since they’ll tailor their language course to you, the student.
While tutors are normally associated with academic support for children learning German at school, adults can also benefit from tutoring.
There is never a wrong age or time to hire a tutor for your own education.
Of course, the price range for private tutors will fluctuate based on several factors. Frequency of lessons, intensity of the material, beginner lessons vs advanced lessons, and tutors’ experience level are some of the things you can be sure will affect the cost.
In any case, it’s always best to consider many factors, not just price, when selecting a tutor. The cheapest tutor might be able to teach you the basics of German, but not the more advanced aspects. The most expensive tutor might be over-valuing their service.
Do your own research into your prospective teachers and try to find customer reviews to ensure you are going to be getting the tutorship you need.
Find a German Student or Native Speaker
When it comes to German tutors, they’re usually either students who’ve studied German as their second language, or native or bilingual German expats. You’ll find adverts for their language courses on classifieds websites or on local businesses’ noticeboards. In these cases, tutoring is normally a secondary source of income for them.
Start taking lessons from a German language class today.
As a result, if you decide to get German lessons from students or native speakers, you'll find that they're usually cheaper than tutorials from licensed teachers. While their methods might not be what you’re used to in school, they can still be highly effective.
If you’re a student in need of academic support, a private tutor can help you go back over your lessons from school or university and cover them in more depth. They can work out where you’re struggling and then work together with you to help you rectify any problems.
If you’re an adult wanting to learn how to speak German fluently, speaking regularly with a student teacher or a native speaker will quickly help you improve.
By practising German pronunciation and speaking as well as going back over basics like the German alphabet, grammar, and writing, you’ll learn to communicate in the language quickly.
The rates for non-professional tutors tend to be between INR100 and INR600 per hour, depending on their level of experience. You may also find that someone in this position might even be willing to trade for their lessons. For example, maybe the German speaker wants to learn Hindi, and you can trade teaching how to speak Hindi for how to speak German, making the classes free!
Hire an Experienced Tutor
There are plenty of German teachers who offer their services in the form of private German classes. The advantage here is that they’re both a language-learning expert and an educator! These tutors will usually charge more than your average student or native speaker.
Make the most of their experience to help you improve your German! They’ll be able to quickly work out what you need help with.
If you struggle with German grammar, they can take you back to basics. You can go back over German conjugations and cases, for example.
You’ll have to learn the differences between the accusative, the genitive, the dative, and the nominative if you want to get ahead in German. Have you grasped the specifics of the German language but find speaking difficult?
The teacher can help you practise your speaking by focusing on conversational German and working towards gaining fluency. You’ll improve your comprehension as well as boost your knowledge of German phrases and expressions.
Your tutor can also keep track of your progress and design lesson plans exclusively for you.
The rates for experienced German tutors tend to be over INR1000 per hour.
It is likely that a professional teacher must also keep up-to-date licensure and continuing education to maintain their teaching certificate. Because of these costs, it is likely that they may be more expensive, however you will know that your tutor is well-educated even after completing their degree.
Learn German Online
Online learning has become an affordable, accessible way for so many people to learn so many things.
You can find private tutorship as well as German language courses, apps, and free resources for learning the language.
Apps
Sites like Babbel require a subscription. The rate works on a sliding scale and can go from around INR500-1000 per month depending on the subscription. The more months you pay for, the less you pay per month.
Check out other apps like DuoLingo, Anki, Memrise, Lingoda and Busuu.
Many apps have a free version as well as a paid version.
Free Resources
Of course, with enough patience, you can find all kinds of resources for learning or teaching yourself German for free!
Sites like YouTube contain endless hours of content from thousands of creators covering every aspect of German. If you are looking to be able to understand listening to German, YouTube will be extremely valuable since you can find German creators talking about everything under the sun - in German!
Podcasts can also be a great resource. Again, you may be able to find educational podcasts as well as podcasts that are simply created by a German speaker. Both can help you learn, especially to practise your listening skills.
A regular Google search will also help you find so many other resources: forums, other students, dictionaries, books, and more. However, be wary of internet resources with little to no reputation as they might be peddling misinformation, leaving you speaking nonsense!
Online Institutes
Many institutions of learning also offer online courses. Though these might be a bit pricier, you will be guaranteed that the material is correct, thorough, and well-taught.
Many also offer self-paced classes that will allow you to practice when you have time, whenever that may be. If you have an irregular schedule, this can be your best option!
Online Tutoring
If you want to get ahead while studying on your own, you’ll need to practise regularly and daily. Consistency is key to learning a language.
The best way to ensure you stay consistent is to have someone to keep you accountable. And the best person to keep you accountable? Your tutor
As previously stated, you could seek out an in-person tutor, but that option isn’t always right for everyone.
With an online tutoring platform like Superprof, you can find a tutor who meets all of your needs. Experience level, availability, and ease of access are all accessible with this system.
You choose when you want your session to be, and you can find a tutor from just about anywhere in the world who can help you! The best part is that you do not need to set aside time for commuting to the classroom, since all you need is internet and your device.
You could even schedule classes during your lunch break at work if you wanted to!
Discover the various German classes in Chennai.
Exam Preparation German Courses
There are plenty of exams for certifying your level in a language for academic or professional purposes.
The curriculum is usually based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
There are six levels ranging from A1 (beginner) to C2 (mastery).
If you want to study in Germany, you’ll have to pass a language test: the Test DAF or the DSH.
Do you need to prove your level in German for professional reasons? There are three recognised German exams: ZDfB, Widaf, and BULATS that you can take.
In either case, you should probably consider taking a course to prepare for them.
These courses are highly recommended since they’ll help you get to know the intricacies of each exam better. There are various types available.
For example, you could take a prep course in German from the Goethe Institut. Typically, you can expect them to be in the range of INR22,500-28,000.
You can always sit an exam preparation exam with the Goethe Institut, even if you don’t take the course. This can be helpful to determine the areas of weakness you might have in your knowledge, and the cost is around INR12,000.
Don’t forget that a German language exam can really benefit your professional career!
German Language Course in a Language School
There are plenty of specialised language schools offering German language courses. Classes usually have between 5 and 15 students and are in the afternoons and evenings since they’re mainly aimed at students and adults who are working during the day.
The German class fees depend on the organisation and how many hours of class per week you’d like to have.
Find out about German language course in Delhi here.
How much do these private German classes cost? You’ll normally pay for the number of teaching hours over a given period. This usually can work out to be about INR12550 for a 56-hour basic course.
You could also take intensive German classes. There are courses at the Goethe Institut for INR26000 for a months-long intensive.
Intensive German Courses Abroad
Visiting a country is one of the best ways for improving your mastery in a language.
Immersion in a German-speaking culture and the everyday lives of German speakers will help you improve your listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Linguistic stays are usually organised as summer or holiday courses in a language center. There are tons of them in Germany!
Choosing just one town in Germany you want to visit will be a difficult choice! You have to remember that sometimes accommodation is included and other times it isn’t.
You could even learn thanks to staying with a host family where speaking German every day will really help you improve!
You could even temporarily rent a flat or go with your family. These are all factors that could change the costs.
Find the best German language course here.
There are organisations that offer month-long intensive courses in Germany. You can expect these prices to have a wide range depending on which kind of German you want to learn (casual, intensive, business, exam prep, etc), how long you’ll be staying, how many people are in your group, and what time of year you are going.
For these reasons, it’s hard to give a good cost estimate, but a safe guess is INR10,500 for a short, casual stay and INR1,00,000 for a several-week, more intensive course.
Keep in mind additional costs, like housing, meals, airfare, and visas!
With webcam classes, free online lessons, language stays, professional training, and private tutorials, there are so many great ways to learn German!
Once you’ve chosen the best method for your budget, the rest is up to you. Soon you’ll be saying “Deutsch ist einfach!”
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